In chapter 45 of Genesis the moment we have all been waiting for arrives, Joseph reveals to his brother's his true identity. It is exciting. It is happy. It is tearful.
But the thing I noticed while reading it was not the excitement so much as the overall patience Joseph showed. In this relatively short chapter he mentions his father four times. It is clear that a dam of emotion has burst and he is overwhelmed with the thought of seeing his father. So my question for you is this:
"Why didn't Joseph go see his father when he was put in charge of Egypt?"
Surely, as important as he was, he could have left for a few days/weeks to go see his father? Surely he had the power and the money and the pull? I mean when Pharaoh finds out about his brothers he goes crazy trying to treat them to the finest things that Egypt has to offer. Surely if Joseph told him about his father, Pharaoh would have made the reunion possible a lot sooner. Why didn't Joseph go to his father years earlier?
I don't think he did because he was committed to God's plan. He was dedicated to seeing it through to the end. He knew the completion of everything was not that his dire need of seeing his father again was met. He knew that God had him in place to save lives and save Egypt.
So even when it became possible to go see his father he knew that was not God's plan and stayed put.
It's an exciting chapter but the patience is what stopped me cold.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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7 comments:
great observation. i liked today's entry a lot. i was waiting for it all morning too! :) as usual, thanks for doing what you do, jon.
Good Word!
^__^
Patience about relationship is something that's on my mind today.
I wonder how Joseph know God wants him to stay put.
That's true Jon.
Joseph had been a man of patience throughout his life.
He didn't fight when his brothers put him into a well then sold him into slavery (or did he fight?) He spent 3 years patiently behind bars for nothing. He did all that twists and tricks towards his brothers patiently waiting for the right moment to reveal the truth.....
Great character..
Jon,
TY...!
~Joe's "patience" with God & "dedication" to the task at hand are excellent biblical examples for each of us to apply to our daily living and faith-walk.
campman62.wordpress.com
I have to say I am not so sure his reasons for not seeing his father sooner are so lofty. I think we have a tendancy to make our biblical heroes less than normal and in that we miss the beauty of God's redemption for us in our every day lives.
What if Joseph didn't go because he knew going to see his Dad meant seeing his brothers. Talk about ambivalence. Great where he's ended up after they sold him off and left him for dead. Still, they betrayed him and never looked back. How excited do you think he was to see them?
Isn't like us. We carry the longing for restoration with someone, yet also carry the pain of betrayal or disappointment so we don't move until something happens to give us a shove.
Right. He was true to his words and very obedient to God's plan. His patience led him to better results despite the fact that he was "killed" by his brothers. Joseph is my hero :)
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